The Gift (2015)
 |
| Pic by |
: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/netflix/id363590051?mt=8&at=1010lrYR
Director:
Joel Edgerton
Writer:
Joel Edgerton
Cast:
Jason Bateman (Simon), Rebecca Hall (Robyn), Joel Edgerton (Gordo), Allison Tolman (Lucy), Tim Griffin (Kevin 'KK' Keelor), Busy Philipps (Duffy), Adam Lazarre-White (Ron), Beau Knapp (Detective Walker), Wndell Pierce (Detective Mills), Mirrah Foulkes (Wendy Dale), Nash Edgerton (Frank Dale), David Denman (Greg), and P.J. Byrne (Danny).
Opening Sequence:
Thriller films have a certain thing. You know what i'm talking about? The scary sequence inside the home. The feeling of uncertainty. Thrillers have those moments within the film that make you feel empty for the characters. That feeling trails along with each act of the story. Imagine a scene where the lead actor enters a room, calls out to the noise or whatever the scene entails. That moment is what i'm talking about. The story goes on, but that empty feeling continues, which therefore making the film exciting, scary, and the most important that desperation that you feel for the character.
Remember the scene in the Gift where Robyn (Rebecca Hall) was hospitalized? She stays in room 237. That number is in reference to the great film by Stanley Kubrick,The Shining (1980).
Review:
Simon and Robyn Callum (Jason Bateman and Rebecca Hall) moved from Chicago to California for a new beginning. Robyn struggling with a miscarriage, Simon's new position in the state will somehow bring changes they need. The new home is near Simon's old stomping ground, a fresh start, a home, and now a trip to the furniture store.
Simon is ready to pay for his purchases. A man walks up to him. He started with an excuse me. then he continued with "Do i know you from somewhere?" A question that made Simon glance at the man, as he gave the store clerk his credit card. "You don't look familiar," he grabbed his card. Turned to address the man. "And you are?" "Gordon Mosely, or Gordo," said Gordo (Joel Edgerton). The exchange continues in an awkward way, Simon introduces his wife Robyn (Rebecca Hall), the exchange was short, the young couple walked away, as Gordo just stared at them as they left the store. He noticed something, but deep within is a lonely man looking for a friend, or is there something else.
The film starts off good, not that the second or third act is bad just that it starts off good. We get an introduction of all the characters. Then in an old fashion thriller way, the antagonist is introduced in a unconformable way; A gift giver, after barely meeting the couple. The guy comes off nice, then. Bang! something snaps, and guess what happens, nothing really. He seems like a great guy, just lonely, out of touch with reality. Afterwards he throws in a couple of presents, walks up to your doorstep, and bang! you're hit with the "What the Hell is wrong with this guy!" The very moment that as a member of the audience, confusion sets in. Is this dude acting like a friend or a serial killer. Those thoughts happen to dance around in your head. The film continues, you the realize that the guy, by the name of Gordo is a creep. But is he really, i mean yes, he might be a bit to pushy, but that might be his personality. A personality Simon should've picked up on, but didn't, or did he?
The acting in the film is good, the lead actors to the supporting actors. Jason Bateman, Rebecca Hall, Joel Edgerton, Allison Tolman. The actors did their jobs well, so with that being said, understand that these actors had their parts, and when it came down to their moment, they all shined. Unlike B-movies, where they had no direction. The actors knew what to do, thanks to Joel Edgerton's wonderful directing skills, which by the way was his third. The List (2008), Monkeys (2011), and finally the Gift (2015). Talented in every way, Gordo is a wonderful antagonist in the story. He is acted, and directed like a champ. A complicated man with an even more complicated past, that is intertwined with Simon's. The amazing thing is the way it turned out, everything just went from good to bad, and then some. Gordo was definitely the man to watch out for, or was he the true bad guy?
"Funny, when someone lies to you enough, you just stop believing anything they say." -Robyn-
The story is probably the best of all the thrillers I've seen thus far. So a guy comes up to you, realizes he's from your past. Then he comes to your house while working, meanwhile the wife is home alone. On top of that the dude continues to be a pest. What is amazing is the way the story turned around, how Gordo was the victim, and Simon was the bully jerk that really was the antagonist in the story. I really like this kinda story because it is exciting. It opened up as the story progressed through the different stages of the Acts. Act one was the introduction to the characters, and the connections established. Act two was the story arc, and the details it entails. The protagonist are all doing their thing, understanding what they need to do, and how to go about it. Act three is the final act which entails clarity of the story. Let me just say that not all thrillers are always clear about Act three. The Gift is all about clarity. It begins in Act one and by the time you get to three, it ends with a desired ending. No car chase, or anything like that, it just ends with a sweet bitter taste.
I had mentioned on other blog posts about sex scenes, well this thriller doesn't have any. Glad they went that route, because to me it destroys the integrity of the story. The director had a story to tell, which was done to perfection. It was balanced, no huge action, or bad acting, this film was smooth all the way. No seven minute sex scene that takes away from the story. Instead of the fade to black or something like it, some thrillers decide to go all out on the sex scenes, bad decision on their part. To me that will always hurt the film. Especially when it sucks the screen time, and it really wasn't necessary to the story. You want sex, then a film like this is not the place for it. A thriller is just that, a film that scares you in the moment you least expect it to. The suspense rises, an unforgiving, desperate game that is the total make up of what a thriller really is. The 3-5 minutes of sexual content will destroy your film's plot. The plot is the stories Engine, it pulls everything together, and when a sex scene is added just for audience, it kills the film, especially when it doesn't even call for it. Basic Instinct for example would have sexual content because of the story and plot, it is expected. The story takes the lead, especially in a thriller.
"See, you're done with the past, but the past is not done with you." -Gordo-
Thrillers are what we expected them to be, a game of cat and mouse. The chase that will always be, never ending. The facts about the main antagonist is exposed to you in the audience, so that you could hate him to the point of no return. The man, Gordon Mosely was picked on in high school. He was not given a chance to exists. Simon became the antagonist when you found out all the information about him, which was revealed, as the story flowed through the Act 1-3. So yes this thriller was probably one of the best in 2015. The film had everything you could ever want in a thriller. The violence was skin deep, it held you at bay. The film took you to a dark place, a cold, location with no blanket to keep you warm The Gift felt empty in some places, and not because it was badly written, but the writer knew how to bring you in, the hook was there to take, and it worked like a charm.
Comments